This color-changing wrap grabbed the attention of onlookers during Oktoberfest at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway in West Salem, Wisconsin. It adorned the super late model owned by Jay Van Der Geest and driven by Chris Weinkauf. Kyle Osimitz, of Auto Skins Customs, created the wrap.
“Every wrap I have done for the Van Der Geest team was standout,” Osimitz, of Wausau, Wisconsin, said. “We have done Van Der Geest’s cars in gold chrome, blue, pink, and many other colors no other car owner would want on their car. It was time to take it to the next level.”
Osimitz approached Van Der Geest about trying something radically different.
“Kyle is a longtime friend, and he came to me and said, ‘Do you trust me? I have an idea…,’” said Van Der Geest, of Merrill, Wisconsin. “Of course, I trust him. His taste and creativity are respected.”
That idea was using a color-changing film dubbed “Neo Chrome” from TeckWrap.
“It is very difficult to install,” Osimitz said. “It doesn’t stretch — it is like aluminum foil. After a 16-straight-hour install — from 8 a.m. to midnight — we had a car that is just absolutely different looking.”
Depending on how light strikes the car, the color of the wrap appears to change. Osimitz explains the effect.
“Its color changes are not reflections,” Osimitz said. “They are the actual colors in the film.”
The Van Der Geest stable includes super late models for Van Der Geest; his son, Levon; and brothers Jason and Chris Weinkauf, both of whom help maintain the fleet. Some criticize the flashiness of his cars, but Van Der Geest counters.
“They say I spend too much money on my cars’ appearances,” said Van Der Geest, “but I simply like the way they look.”
Osimitz posted on Facebook that the installation of the color-changing wrap was his swan song.
“I would hope he isn’t serious,” Van Der Geest said. “Everyone is talking about his creation. [Part-time NASCAR Truck Series driver and super late model competitor] Ty Majeski stopped unloading his car and walked over to say, ‘Oh my God, this is too cool.’ [Super late model racer and retired NASCAR driver] Rich Bickle said, ‘holy s–t,’ when he saw it. The list of reactions goes on and on. I’m wondering what Kyle create next.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
